Window blinds are a practical and fashionable choice for any room. They’re versatile and are available in many different designs, materials, and styles to help you get the right look and keep your room on-trend. However, whether you’ve chosen roller blinds, vertical blinds, or Roman blinds, you risk them not looking quite right and ruining all of your hard work if they don’t fit your windows correctly.
If you have an older property, bay windows, or windows that simply aren’t the norm, then it’s imperative that you accurately measure your blind space. Buying blinds that are too big could mean that the blinds simply don’t fit in your space and buying too small might mean that they simply don’t do their job, letting in light around the sides.
Where Will Your Blinds Hang?
Step one is to work out what type of blind will best fit your room’s design. This will determine whether your blinds will hang from the wall above your window or whether they will sit inside the window recess. You’ll also need to consider, specifically for bay windows or blinds that hang over doors, whether you’ll need to fit in multiple tracks next to each other to cover multiple window spaces.
Vertical Blinds – Because of the way vertical blinds hang, you’ll usually need to have them inside the window recess as they won’t be able to turn if they’re flat against the wall.
Roller Blinds or Roman Blinds – These blinds can be hooked up inside the window recess or attached just above the window. The way they move isn’t hindered by either type of fixture. Though, positioning them outside the window recess can mean that they’re a little easier to measure up and can be reused for other windows, should you want to move the blinds later on.
Hanging them inside the recess has the benefit that your blinds look more luxurious and are made-to-measure to your space.
Top Tips On Measuring For Blinds
- If you’re using a Roman or roller blind, you should decide whether to fit it inside or outside the window recess based on how large your window recess space is. If you have a shallow space, fit outside the recess to give yourself more space for the mechanism. If it’s a wider recess, this gives you ample space to get your blinds to fit flush to your window.
- Always measure with a metal tape measure to ensure you have a perfectly flat line across the sill and recess. Those few extra millimetres do make a difference.
- Always measure the width for the blinds in 3 different places across the recess. In older houses especially, it’s unlikely that the walls will be perfectly flat, so you may get a different measurement the closer to the window that you go.
- If you’re asking a company to make your blinds bespoke, always provide the smallest size of your 3 measurements to ensure a snug fit.
- If you’re fitting outside the recess, you’ll need to measure 2 centimetres on either side of the window frame to ensure all light is comfortably blacked out.
- Remember, that you need to measure 3 centimetres above the window recess if you want the blinds to sit outside as the track or roller will need to be above the recess to roll. The blinds will need to measure from there to sit comfortably on the windowsill below.
Bespoke Made To Measure Blinds
To achieve that high-end finish, selecting bespoke, made-to-measure window blinds is a great way to go. If you’re aiming to fit the blinds inside the window recess, it’s very, very unlikely that you’ll find something that fits perfectly off-the-shelf. Using a bespoke blinds specialist allows you to choose unique designs and fabrics and get blinds that perfectly fit your window.
If you would like further advice on measuring your blinds or would like to purchase a new set of blinds or curtains for your home, get in contact with Aquarius Interiors today on 01926 359 096 or visit our contact page today.